Trauma-informed Graduate Psychology Curriculum
Meets graduation requirements for advanced clinical, forensic, and research psychology programs
Integrates trauma science, ethics, communication, advocacy, and cultural competence
Prepares graduates for leadership in trauma-informed, survivor-centered care.
Positions Harvard Graduate School as a pioneer in trauma-informed psychological education
Advanced Trauma Science: Neurobiology, secondary re-traumatization, and clinical implications
This course provides an in-depth exploration of trauma neurobiology, chronic stress, and the mechanisms of secondary re-traumatization. Students examine the latest research on trauma networks, institutional betrayal, and adaptive survival responses, preparing them to recognize and treat complex trauma in diverse populations.
Key Competencies:
Neurobiological models of trauma and stress
Mechanisms of secondary re-traumatization
Institutional betrayal and procedural harm
Clinical translation of trauma research
Ethics and Systemic Harm: Leadership in trauma-informed psychological practice
Examines the ethical responsibilities of psychologists in preventing and addressing systemic re-traumatization. Students learn to apply APA Ethical Principles, navigate institutional drift, and lead ethical reform across clinical, forensic, and research settings.
Key Competencies:
APA Ethics in trauma care
Institutional betrayal and ethical drift
Ethical leadership and advocacy
Complex ethical decision-making in interdisciplinary systems
Clinical Rupture and Repair: Advanced communication and accountability with trauma survivors
Focuses on advanced relational skills for addressing clinical rupture, mis-attunement, and power-based harm. Students learn evidence-based rupture-repair models, trauma-informed language, and how to restore therapeutic alliance and accountability in challenging contexts.
Key Competencies:
Rupture-repair frameworks (Safran & Muran; Briere & Scott)
Trauma-informed communication and apology
Navigating accountability and liability
Repairing trust in clinical and forensic relationships
Trauma-Informed Assessment and Documentation: Protecting survivors in clinical and legal systems
Trains students in trauma-sensitive psychological assessment, forensic documentation, and ethical record keeping. Emphasizes accurate identification of trauma responses, avoiding re-traumatization via records, and producing documentation that stands up in legal and clinical contexts.
Key Competencies:
Trauma-sensitive assessment and case formulation
Forensic and clinical documentation standards
Recognizing and recording secondary victimization
Legal and ethical implications of psychological records
Advocacy, Public Exposure, and Systems Navigation: Supporting survivors in courts, media, and institutions
Prepares students to support clients navigating legal systems, media exposure, and institutional harm. Covers clinical strategies for managing trauma activation during testimony, digital harassment, and narrative loss, and teaches survivor-centered advocacy in high-stakes environments.
Key Competencies:
Preparing clients for legal and public exposure
Managing trauma activation in real time
Digital trauma and narrative agency
Advocacy in courts, media, and institutional settings
Cultural Humility, Bias, and Epistemic Justice in Graduate Psychology
Addresses the intersection of trauma, culture, and systemic bias. Students learn to identify and mitigate epistemic injustice, credibility bias, and health disparities, and to deliver culturally responsive, survivor-centered psychological care and research.
Key Competencies:
Cultural humility in trauma-informed psychology
Epistemic injustice and testimonial bias
Inclusive assessment, diagnosis, and intervention
Strategies for equity and justice in psychological practice
